From 17 May to 19 May, Year 6 students went on an excursion to Canberra. Venues were selected to reinforce themes studied in the Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) topic: Australia as a Nation. Reflecting on the trip, several students shared their thoughts with us:
Day 1
On 17 May, Year 6 students left IGS for an immersive learning experience in Canberra. This amazing educational opportunity was spread over three days of fascinating experiences. The first place we visited was the Parliament House and there, we were very inquisitive and studious, learning about bills and the roles in Parliament. Throughout the visit, we had a wonderful tour guide who shared with us captivating extra information about the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Shortly after, we visited the Museum of Australian Democracy; we brushed up our newfound knowledge of Australia’s Parliament and how its democratic system came to be, even visiting the old House of Representatives, before visiting the Tent Embassy. At the Tent Embassy, the first-hand information about the stolen generation was so immersive and interesting.
— Flint and Serge
Day 2
To start off the day we went to the High Court of Australia. There, we looked at two court rooms. In the first one we learnt about the Justices, we talked about how they settle cases and what each person’s role is. In the second room we saw a case being revisited. It was very interesting to watch how they dealt with big problems and we learnt a lot about the constitution and how laws are made. We next visited the National Museum of Australia. At this museum we looked at underwater creatures and temperatures of Antarctica. We also looked at ancient artefacts and learnt more about them. We found it really fun!
At the War Memorial we paid our respects to the soldiers who have fought for Australia in the Wars. We looked at the eternal flame and we viewed all the poppies next to the names of the soldiers who fought in the war. We toured the Museum and looked at many artefacts and dioramas of soldiers who fought for Australia. It was very educational and we realised how lucky we are today. Then we had lunch and went for a nice, breezy cycle ride around Lake Burley Griffin. It was a great way to get exercise!
After that long cycle, we visited Mount Ainslie Lookout for a break and afternoon tea. The view was beautiful and we could see the Australian War Memorial and Parliament House. It was a great chance to relax and look at the amazing views of Canberra. In the afternoon, we visited The Australian Institute of Sport. We had a lovely tour guide who taught us about all the training that the athletes do and all about the places they train at. It was great to see so many sports in training at the AIS! At the end of our tour, we had lots of fun in the games centre and had lots of friendly competition.
— Lucy, Mackenzie and Lucinda
Day 3
We woke up to freezing temperatures of -5° degrees. Luckily, the dining hall was much warmer and we were able to eat pancakes in peace. After the morning announcements, we returned to our cabins to pack our things. We all had one thing on our minds: Questacon.
After a few commands from Ms Klahn of “Put on your coats!”, we jumped on the bus and headed to Questacon. When we arrived at Questacon, we sat down to a safety briefing that gave us some fascinating information. The Questacon slide was working! We were all very excited about that.
We visited one gallery after the other, and in each one, there was something new and something extraordinary. Eventually, we made it to the room that everyone wanted to see. The room with the Free Fall. The Free Fall is a giant vertical slide that you drop onto from a bar. It makes you feel like gravity has stopped working and it was extremely terrifying as we were hanging onto the bar for dear life, and then had to let go.
After visiting the gift shop, filled with amazing items, we headed back onto the bus. We were all disappointed to leave, but we were glad to return to Sydney. One three-hour trip later, we were back home, telling our families all about the amazing time we had.
— Remy and Penelope
The Year 6 students would like to thank all the teachers who accompanied them on their trip. We appreciate the time and effort they put into organising this event, especially Miss Klahn who went above and beyond to ensure the success of the trip. We are very grateful to have been given the opportunity to explore Australia’s past and present and to visit all the exciting sites. Thank you for organising such an unforgettable trip.
— Chi Hin and Dara